Pills

At this moment, Danyangzi paid no attention to what Li Huowang was thinking; he was lecturing his terrified disciples.

"From now on, if anyone harbors treacherous thoughts, remember what you saw today!"

Danyangzi's words tightened everyone's hearts, the fear in their eyes deepening.

He paced with his hands behind his back, stepping squarely before his disciples, his eagle-like gaze sweeping across all their faces.

"I'm telling you, helping someone become an immortal is great merit. If I achieve immortality, I won't forget your kindness. But if anyone ruins my plans—hah!"

As his words fell, he suddenly stopped in front of Li Huowang, sizing up this young man whose expression differed from the other disciples.

"You, just a hallucination, and I'm supposed to fear you? You're nothing but a thought in my head!" Thinking this, Li Huowang met the Pockmarked Head Master's gaze with calm eyes.

When Danyangzi raised his right hand, its nail crevices caked with filth, the atmosphere in the karst cave grew tense. The others' eyes turned to this senior disciple who dared offend the master, waiting to see how he would be dealt with.

But unexpectedly, Danyangzi's expression softened. His raised hand landed on Li Huowang's head, patting it, and the heavy tension instantly dissipated.

"Last night, those traitors invited you to leave with them. Why did you refuse?"

Though phrased as a question to Li Huowang, it was actually a compliment.

Li Huowang was about to speak when he saw Danyangzi raise his right hand.

"Don't spout empty words. Though you didn't report to me in time, compared to those treacherous disciples, you've done well enough."

He lowered his hand and continued, "I see you have good talent. You don't need to work in the Material Room anymore. From now on, you are my Unregistered Disciple."

Li Huowang was taken aback. His status had been elevated? But he quickly realized—with so many dead in the cave, this guy must be short on helpers.

"Right, since you're now my disciple and have joined this sect, you can't go without a Daoist name. From now on, your Daoist name is Xuan Yang."

Li Huowang glanced at the round hole in the corner. The previous Xuan Yang's gruesome fate flashed through his mind. "Huh, that name's really unlucky," he thought to himself.

Though Li Huowang didn't care much about this treatment, the others in the Material Room were now wide-eyed with envy. Becoming Danyangzi's Unregistered Disciple meant they wouldn't die.

But in Danyangzi's eyes, this wasn't enough. After the stick, the carrot had to be generous to hook people. "Xuan Yang, since you've just joined the sect, I should give you something as a gesture."

Hearing himself called, Li Huowang quickly stepped over. The tone suggested a gift was coming.

Danyangzi poured five pitch-black pills from the gourd at his waist and placed them in Li Huowang's palm.

"Take these well. These five are Immortal Pills I refined. Eating one will not only add ten years to your lifespan but also grant you the Great Strength Divine Power temporarily to save your life."

Li Huowang frowned slightly, holding the pills before him. "These aren't made from people, are they?"

Just as he thought this, he suddenly noticed one of the pills in his hand roll slightly, shifting from round to oval, as if something inside was trying to burrow out.

When he looked closer, the pill showed no change.

"Damn, am I losing it? Why do I care about what happens in a hallucination? This is all fake. I can't fall into it again."

Li Huowang smacked his own head in frustration.

Danyangzi ignored Li Huowang's odd behavior and turned to the rest. "See that? Opposing me leads to death, but helping me brings rewards—and heavy ones at that!"

Everyone's eyes darted nervously between Danyangzi and the pills. Each person's mind churned with their own thoughts, but what they were thinking, only they knew.

Seeing his goal achieved, Danyangzi waved his filthy long sleeves and dismissed everyone to continue working.

Li Huowang no longer had to go to the Material Room. His Daoist name was Xuan Yang, so everything the previous Xuan Yang owned was now his—status, Daoist robe, even the private little karst cave.

But right now, he didn't care about any of this hallucination. What mattered more was what he had gained.

He crossed his arms, staring at the two items on the white hospital bed sheet: the jade pendant and the pills.

"My god, I actually brought them out."

But now Li Huowang was stuck. An old problem lay before him, forcing him to face it.

"If I take this pill out and it actually works when I eat it, then is this place really a hallucination? What the hell is going on with me?"

He had seriously followed the doctor's advice, firmly treating everything there as an illusion. But now that this thing had undeniably appeared before him, his resolve began to waver.

If this was truly a hallucination, what had caused it to become solid? What harm could it do to him?

If that place was another world, then...

The Madman senior sister refined into pills by the master, the Xuan Yang devoured by the Black Cauldron—all kinds of terrifying images flashed through his mind, quickening his breath.

"Ah! So annoying, and I don't even have anyone to talk to about it." Frustrated, Li Huowang clawed at his head with both hands.

After venting, Li Huowang had to face reality. After thinking long and hard, he finally settled on a plan.

For the hallucination side, whether real or fake, he would go along with it as before, treating it as completely real.

If it turned out to be real, he could keep himself safe.

If it was fake, he wouldn't lose anything.

For now, he would first verify the authenticity and value of these brought-back items, then decide his next steps.

Having set his course, Li Huowang took a deep breath, pinched a pill between his thumb and forefinger, and held it up.

"No, eating it myself is too dangerous." His gaze shifted to the patients sunbathing in the garden outside.

After only a brief second of inner struggle, he slumped and put it down. They were poor souls like him—how could he use them as test subjects? He'd find a way to get a white mouse later.

Then Li Huowang turned his attention to the round jade pendant. Compared to the pills, handling this was much simpler.

"Spit it out, what's the matter? I climbed over the wall to get here. If this is a prank, hmph!" Yang Na shook her small, fair fist, threatening him.

"Sis, I had no choice but to ask for your help. You know I can't get out."

Saying this, Li Huowang walked to the hospital room door, closed it, and drew the curtains.